January 5, 2005

1. Madison has its own minimum wage now, after a judge today rejected the argument that only the state can set the minimum wage. So now the state minimum wage is $5.15 an hour, and the city minimum wage is $5.70. The minimum wage will rise to $6.50 in 2006 and $7.75 in 2008.

2. The local paper, the Capital Times, has an editorial today calling on Rep. Tammy Baldwin and Senators Russ Feingold and Herb Kohl to object to the presidential election results from Ohio. The paper thinks it would be a good idea to "focus attention" on the "irregulaties" that occurred in Ohio.

3. A 150-pound red kangaroo was found hopping along the highway near here, and no one seems to know where it came from. The poor thing must have been cold. It's been snowing like mad. They're taking him in over at the zoo.